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Do you get annoyed when people say 'Eire'?

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  • #62
    Cushie Butterfield
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,862 ✭✭✭Cushie Butterfield


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lg0eSfOQdw


  • #63
    gurramok
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,992 ✭✭✭✭gurramok


    Galwayguy35 wrote: »
    No but it pissed me off when someone mentioned to me that we are part of the "British Isles".

    And before someone comes on here saying that it's true maybe it is but it gets on my tits to hear it.

    Foreigner: Where you from?
    Irish person: Ireland
    Foreigner: Ah, the UK!
    Irish person: No, Ireland
    Foreigner: But you're in the British Isles so British so UK!
    Irish person: No, Ireland, i'm Irish
    Foreigner: you're Irish in the UK then?
    Irish person: No, Ireland!
    Foreigner: But Ireland is in the British Isles so you're British then!

    Some muppets here actually agree with Johnny foreigner's mistake :mad:


  • #64
    OCorcrainn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 428 ✭✭OCorcrainn


    Amari Flaky Rocker wrote: »
    ...when they're speaking English? I've never heard an Irish person do it, but it seems to be common in the UK. I'm always being asked if I'm 'heading back to Eire' for a weekend and things like that. It sounds weird to me and comes off as really pretentious. Nobody would say 'I had a great week in Deutschland', would they? I've even been corrected when I've said I'm going to Ireland - 'which bit of Ireland? Do you mean Eire?' No, I mean Ireland.

    What do you think?

    I think people should spell it properly, it is spelt and pronounced as Éire not 'Eire'.


  • #65
    gobnaitolunacy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,073 ✭✭✭gobnaitolunacy


    OCorcrainn wrote: »
    I think people should spell it properly, it is spelt and pronounced as Éire not 'Eire'.

    Acute accent nazi.


  • #66
    Duggy747
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,295 ✭✭✭✭Duggy747


    I get more bothered when I'm referred to as British than I am about saying something like Eire.


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  • #67
    syntax1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 61 ✭✭syntax1


    gobnaitolunacy wrote: »
    Acute accent nazi.

    i gues speling duznt matter den :D


  • #68
    Amari Flaky Rocker
    Posts: 0 ✭ Amari Flaky Rocker


    OCorcrainn wrote: »
    I think people should spell it properly, it is spelt and pronounced as Éire not 'Eire'.

    British people spell it Eire. That's the point.

    Anyway, I'm just surprised by how common it is in the UK to use 'Eire'. People seem surprised when I don't use it myself. I suppose it's better than 'Southern Ireland' and obviously much better than people thinking all of Ireland is in the UK (depressingly common) but it grates a bit when people actually correct me.


  • #69
    Amari Flaky Rocker
    Posts: 0 ✭ Amari Flaky Rocker


    mathepac wrote: »
    Their big mistake of course being that there is no such thing as "mainland" UK; the UK is a collection of islands and part of ours.

    What do you think 'mainland' means? You might want to look it up.


  • #70
    houseinthesun
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 46 ✭houseinthesun


    Not an issue with me, but can someone explain where 'londonderry' is?:confused:
    I know where Derry is! :D


  • #71
    FTA69
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,252 ✭✭✭FTA69


    They're only trying to differentiate between the two states in Ireland. "Southern Ireland" is much more common and I don't see the sh*t fit about people using it to be honest, it's a natural extension from "Northern Ireland" and makes them sound less of a tit than use of the word "Éire".

    What winds me up are the umpteen eejits over here that think the whole of Ireland is in the UK and we're all just wannabe Brits. To be fair, a lot of people in most countries refuse to differentiate between the two. I work with Latin Americans who seem to uniformly believe that we're British and will have the gall to argue the point when corrected. Of course say Colombians are the same as Venezuelans and the sh*t hits the fan.


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  • #72
    Amari Flaky Rocker
    Posts: 0 ✭ Amari Flaky Rocker


    FTA69 wrote: »
    They're only trying to differentiate between the two states in Ireland. "Southern Ireland" is much more common and I don't see the sh*t fit about people using it to be honest, it's a natural extension from "Northern Ireland" and makes them sound less of a tit than use of the word "Éire".

    What winds me up are the umpteen eejits over here that think the whole of Ireland is in the UK and we're all just wannabe Brits. To be fair, a lot of people in most countries refuse to differentiate between the two. I work with Latin Americans who seem to uniformly believe that we're British and will have the gall to argue the point when corrected. Of course say Colombians are the same as Venezuelans and the sh*t hits the fan.

    I think I've posted this here, but a couple of years ago, myself and my boyfriend were heading to Spain from London with good old Ryanair. We were standing in the queue and one of the Ryanair staff was working her way up the queue asking if everyone was British (don't know why). My boyfriend said, 'no I'm Irish' and she just rolled her eyes and huffed, as if he was being ridiculous or pedantic. I said, 'excuse me, what's the issue?' and she said, 'it's the same thing'. An airline worker who checks passports all day long and doesn't know that Ireland is a country.

    My boyfriend says it happens all the time in the UK, people rolling their eyes at him as if he's trying to make some political point by saying he's not British.


  • #73
    gobnaitolunacy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,073 ✭✭✭gobnaitolunacy


    Any reference to Britain as the 'mainland' bugs the tits off me.

    Not for nationistic reasons, but gives the impression that Ireland is some sort of seagull sh*t splattered Craggy Island type of place.


  • #74
    FTA69
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,252 ✭✭✭FTA69


    My boyfriend says it happens all the time in the UK, people rolling their eyes at him as if he's trying to make some political point by saying he's not British.

    With the colonisation of Ireland came a narrative within England (and later the UK) to justify it. Namely that Ireland due to its proximity was by extension a rightful domain of Britain. Coupled with this was the spin that the Irish were incapable of governance (probably right there) and were less civilised etc. If you mix the above in with the common theme of larger countries thinking the world revolves around them then it's no surprise Brits and others lump us in as British.

    To be fair many people lump Poles, Czechs, Kazakhs and Ukranians in as "Russians"precisely due to the fact they come under that sphere of influence.

    Gobnait,
    Any reference to Britain as the 'mainland' bugs the tits off me.

    That and it implies ownership. Britain is no more the "mainland" for Ireland than Australia is for New Zealand or Japan is for China. (Bad examples but you get the gist.)


  • #75
    Galwayguy35
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,195 ✭✭✭✭Galwayguy35


    FTA69 wrote: »
    With the colonisation of Ireland came a narrative within England (and later the UK) to justify it. Namely that Ireland due to its proximity was by extension a rightful domain of Britain. Coupled with this was the spin that the Irish were incapable of governance (probably right there) and were less civilised etc. If you mix the above in with the common theme of larger countries thinking the world revolves around them then it's no surprise Brits and others lump us in as British.

    To be fair many people lump Poles, Czechs, Kazakhs and Ukranians in as "Russians"precisely due to the fact they come under that sphere of influence.

    Gobnait,



    That and it implies ownership. Britain is no more the "mainland" for Ireland than Australia is for New Zealand or Japan is for China. (Bad examples but you get the gist.)



    He would be a brave man that would call a Polish guy a Russian and nearly as dumb as someone who can't tell the difference between Ireland and Britain.


  • #76
    ONeill2013
    Closed Accounts Posts: 447 ✭✭ONeill2013


    I've only heard English people call it that when referring to the republic. It irritates me more that the republic is called 'Ireland' it makes us in the north sound like such plastic paddies but ROI's officially called Ireland unfortunately.


  • #77
    An tAthair MacSuibhne
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8 ✭An tAthair MacSuibhne


    What annoys me more is getting a letter from the six counties that's addressed as Ireland (Republic of). This is so stupid, it's as if the postman is going to get confused and send a letter addressed to Dublin back to Belfast.
    To counter this political incorrectness I normally address letters to the north as Ireland (northern) or Ireland (the six counties).


  • #78
    Iwasfrozen
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 16,250 ✭✭✭✭Iwasfrozen


    An tAthair MacSuibhne wrote: »
    What annoys me more is getting a letter from the six counties that's addressed as Ireland (Republic of). This is so stupid, it's as if the postman is going to get confused and send a letter addressed to Dublin back to Belfast.
    To counter this political incorrectness I normally address letters to the north as Ireland (northern) or Ireland (the six counties).
    Except what you do is more politically incorrect then what they do. It's a funny thing to get annoyed about though.


  • #79
    Cody Pomeray
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,648 ✭✭✭Cody Pomeray


    Amari Flaky Rocker wrote: »
    ...when they're speaking English? I've never heard an Irish person do it, but it seems to be common in the UK. I'm always being asked if I'm 'heading back to Eire' for a weekend and things like that. It sounds weird to me and comes off as really pretentious. Nobody would say 'I had a great week in Deutschland', would they? I've even been corrected when I've said I'm going to Ireland - 'which bit of Ireland? Do you mean Eire?' No, I mean Ireland.

    What do you think?

    Maybe they are trying to be politically sensitive by using the name of our country using our language in accordance with what our constitution says.

    You have to admit there is a logical advantage of using "Eire" or "The Republic of Ireland", in that there is a geographical Ireland and a political Ireland, and it isn't always clear which one is intended.


  • #80
    FTA69
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,252 ✭✭✭FTA69


    Galwayguy35 wrote: »
    He would be a brave man that would call a Polish guy a Russian and nearly as dumb as someone who can't tell the difference between Ireland and Britain.

    I've seen it happen in Ireland once. I've definitely seen the "what's the difference" attitude toward all Slavic countries displayed countless times. I imagine many Latin Americans in the USA are perpetually referred to as "Mexicans" despite being from El Salvador or somewhere.


  • #81
    Jimoslimos
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,930 ✭✭✭Jimoslimos


    Tis a strange one alright. Not sure what I should be offended by. The DM are fond of using the term which leads me to be automatically suspicious of anyone else (British) using it. Perhaps wrongly so.

    Perhaps it's because of an inherent fear of the word 'republic', given their less than perfect past experiences with it (from Cromwell to Irish 'republican' terrorists)

    As said earlier, 'Southern Ireland' is more grating. Then again I wonder do Koreans feel the same when referred to as North or South Korean (given that neither of these two countries exist) or did Germans object to East or West Germany references, Vietnamese, etc.


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  • #82
    kowloon
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,715 ✭✭✭✭kowloon


    Lived in the UK and can't remember anyone using the term. They do get confused when you say Ireland though. I often got asked if I came from 'Southern Ireland'. I enjoyed messing with their heads and saying I came from the free state, or the liberated counties or whatever. Nothing like creating a bit of tension before you tell them you're just playing with them.


  • #83
    The True Puka
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 28 ✭The True Puka


    I cannot stand when usually well meaning British people refer to the current 26 county state as Eire. It comes across as condescending and patronising.
    In any case I would not recognise it. Not do I agree with it being referred to as the Republic of IReland. Personally, the only term I recognise for the 26 county state is "Southern Ireland". It's not reflected in reality but that is my opinion.


  • #84
    LordSutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,076 ✭✭✭✭LordSutch


    kowloon wrote: »
    Lived in the UK . . .

    That's^ another term that causes total confusion and irritance among many Irish people, and non Irish people!
    So here is the lowdown on what the term "UK" actually means > > http://youtu.be/rNu8XDBSn10

    Maybe somebody could knock-up a similar one with reference to EIRE, Ireland, Republic of, etc etc etc . . .


  • #85
    Lightbulb Sun
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,405 ✭✭✭Lightbulb Sun




  • #86
    kowloon
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,715 ✭✭✭✭kowloon


    LordSutch wrote: »
    That's^ another term that causes total confusion and irritance among many Irish people, and non Irish people!
    So here is the lowdown on what the term "UK" actually means > > http://youtu.be/rNu8XDBSn10

    Maybe somebody could knock-up a similar one with reference to EIRE, Ireland, Republic of, etc etc etc . . .

    I chose not to use England because someone would likely have a problem with that. In short: you can't ****ing win ;).


  • #87
    Son Of A Vidic
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,370 ✭✭✭✭Son Of A Vidic


    Amari Flaky Rocker wrote: »
    it seems to be common in the UK. I'm always being asked if I'm 'heading back to Eire' for a weekend and things like that.

    Common in the U.K.? I suspect you are living in a time warp. I spent 10 years living in the U.K. and I never heard anyone ever mentioned the word 'Eire'.


  • #88
    Amari Flaky Rocker
    Posts: 0 ✭ Amari Flaky Rocker


    Corvus Maximus wrote: »
    Common in the U.K.? I suspect you are living in a time warp. I spent 10 years living in the U.K. and I never heard anyone ever mentioned the word 'Eire'.

    Or perhaps we just met different people? Why would I lie? :confused: I hear it on a regular basis. There are a few different people at work who use it, a couple of lecturers used to use it and I hear it randomly quite a lot. Not as much as 'Southern Ireland', but still, quite a lot.

    People of my generation generally don't, probably because they don't know it, but people of say, 40+? It's really quite common.


  • #89
    Amari Flaky Rocker
    Posts: 0 ✭ Amari Flaky Rocker


    Jimoslimos wrote: »
    Tis a strange one alright. Not sure what I should be offended by. The DM are fond of using the term which leads me to be automatically suspicious of anyone else (British) using it. Perhaps wrongly so.

    Perhaps it's because of an inherent fear of the word 'republic', given their less than perfect past experiences with it (from Cromwell to Irish 'republican' terrorists)

    I don't think it's offensive, or supposed to be offensive. The people who use 'Eire' are usually well-meaning and trying to show off how much they know, but actually doing the opposite. They don't realise that nobody in Ireland would refer to the country as 'Eire' while speaking English.
    As said earlier, 'Southern Ireland' is more grating. Then again I wonder do Koreans feel the same when referred to as North or South Korean (given that neither of these two countries exist) or did Germans object to East or West Germany references, Vietnamese, etc.

    But there is a country called South Korea. :confused: The whole problem with Southern Ireland is that Southern Ireland doesn't exist. It's natural to assume that when there's a 'Northern X', there must be a 'Southern X', but it's wrong. Not least because the northernmost part of the island is part of the Republic. It's just factually incorrect, that's what I think bugs people.


  • #90
    Jimoslimos
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,930 ✭✭✭Jimoslimos


    Amari Flaky Rocker wrote: »
    But there is a country called South Korea. :confused: The whole problem with Southern Ireland is that Southern Ireland doesn't exist. It's natural to assume that when there's a 'Northern X', there must be a 'Southern X', but it's wrong. Not least because the northernmost part of the island is part of the Republic. It's just factually incorrect, that's what I think bugs people.
    There isn't. There's a country called Republic of Korea and another one to the North called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Which one do you mean?


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  • #91
    Amari Flaky Rocker
    Posts: 0 ✭ Amari Flaky Rocker


    Jimoslimos wrote: »
    There isn't. There's a country called Republic of Korea and another one to the North called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Which one do you mean?

    And because the two names are so similar, the citizens of South Korea (don't know about North Korea) are more than happy to tell you they're South Korean. South Korean is accepted as an official nationality.

    How many Irish people say they're Southern Irish? And on what document is it printed that you're 'Southern Irish'?


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